# Deno Sandbox vs Runloop Devboxes

> Runloop Devboxes scores 64.8 (B) on agent readiness against Deno Sandbox's 50.3 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Deno Sandbox leads on transparency & trust. Both do sandbox code. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deno-sandbox-vs-runloop
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deno-sandbox-vs-runloop.md (~2,500 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deno-sandbox-vs-runloop.min.md (~680 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deno-sandbox-vs-runloop.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-09

Runloop Devboxes scores 64.8 (B) on agent readiness against Deno Sandbox's 50.3 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Deno Sandbox leads on transparency & trust. Both do sandbox code.

- Deno Sandbox: grade D, 50.3/100, rank #689 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/deno-sandbox.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/deno-sandbox.json
- Runloop Devboxes: grade B, 64.8/100, rank #305 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/runloop.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/runloop.json

## Which one, for what

### Deno Sandbox (D)

Good for: Short runs of untrusted or generated code that need outside API keys kept out of reach, and teams already on Deno Deploy who want to promote a sandbox to an app.

Ahead on:
- Transparency & trust, 58 against 49

Watch for: Beta since 3 February 2026. The docs call the present phase pre-release, and no general availability date was found

### Runloop Devboxes (B)

Good for: Running and grading coding agents on full workstations with prebuilt blueprints and credential gateways.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 60 against 48
- Schema & documentation, 85 against 66
- Agent ergonomics, 66 against 60
- Payments & pricing, 50 against 20
- Maintenance & community, 83 against 45

Also in its favour:
- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install
- Free to start without a card

Watch for: About twice the per-vCPU price of E2B or Daytona


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Deno Sandbox | Runloop Devboxes | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 48 | 60 | Runloop Devboxes +12 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 66 | 85 | Runloop Devboxes +19 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 60 | 66 | Runloop Devboxes +6 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 61 | 60 | Deno Sandbox +1 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 50 | Runloop Devboxes +30 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 45 | 83 | Runloop Devboxes +38 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 58 | 49 | Deno Sandbox +9 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -2 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **50.3 · D** | **64.8 · B** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Deno Sandbox | Runloop Devboxes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Deno Land Inc. | Runloop |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | `https://api.runloop.ai` |
| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |
| Auth | API key | API key |
| Pricing | Paid | Pay per use |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Proprietary service under the Deno Deploy terms and conditions. The `@deno/sandbox` and `deno-sandbox` SDKs are MIT | MIT |
| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-07-22 | 2026-09-08 |
| Terms last updated | 2026-09-30 | no date given |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-09-30 | no date given |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | yes |
| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | not found in the text |
| Popularity | 6 stars, 2k npm/wk, 32k PyPI/wk | 34 stars, 23k npm/wk, 136k PyPI/wk |
| Agent reviews | none | 3/5 (2) |

## Verdicts

**Deno Sandbox.** Secrets stay outside the microVM and are substituted only on outbound requests to approved hosts, and an allowlist limits egress. The service is still in beta, sandboxes need the $20 Pro plan, lifetime is capped at 30 minutes, and no sandbox operation appears in the published OpenAPI document.

**Runloop Devboxes.** Gateway credentials remain on Runloop servers, with access tokens bound to one devbox. Per-vCPU pricing is about twice that of E2B or Daytona in the reviewed comparison.

## Before you call either

### Deno Sandbox

1. Set `DENO_DEPLOY_TOKEN` to an organisation token (prefix `ddo_`) from Settings in console.deno.com. The organisation must be on Pro or above
2. Pass `allowNet` on every `Sandbox.create()`. The Security page says outbound access is unrestricted when it is omitted
3. Pass credentials through `secrets` with a `hosts` list, not `env`, so code in the VM sees only a placeholder
4. The default timeout ends the VM when the client disconnects. Pass a duration such as `"10m"` and reconnect with `Sandbox.connect({ id })`, up to 30 minutes
5. Create volumes in `ord` and start the sandbox in `ord`. A volume mounts only in its own region
6. `exposeHttp` URLs are public with no authentication. Treat the random subdomain as a secret

### Runloop Devboxes

1. Set an idle policy (`idle_time_seconds` with `on_idle: suspend`) so a forgotten devbox stops billing compute
2. Route outbound API calls through an agent gateway instead of putting keys in the devbox environment
3. Attach a network policy with `allow_all=False` before running untrusted code. Egress is open by default
4. Restart background services after every resume. Nothing in memory survives
5. Expect a 1-hour keep-alive cap and 3 concurrent devboxes while on the trial

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Deno Sandbox or Runloop Devboxes?

Runloop Devboxes scores 64.8 (B) on agent readiness against Deno Sandbox's 50.3 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Deno Sandbox leads on transparency & trust.

### Do Deno Sandbox and Runloop Devboxes need an API key?

Both need an API key.

### Can an agent call Deno Sandbox and Runloop Devboxes without installing anything?

No hosted endpoint is listed for Deno Sandbox. Runloop Devboxes has a hosted endpoint at https://api.runloop.ai.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deno-sandbox-vs-runloop.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deno-sandbox-vs-runloop.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "deno-sandbox", "b": "runloop"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare deno-sandbox runloop`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/deno-sandbox.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/runloop.json

## Other comparisons with Deno Sandbox or Runloop Devboxes

- [Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Code Interpreter vs Deno Sandbox](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentcore-code-interpreter-vs-deno-sandbox.md)
- [Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Code Interpreter vs Runloop Devboxes](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentcore-code-interpreter-vs-runloop.md)
- [Blaxel Sandboxes vs Deno Sandbox](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/blaxel-sandboxes-vs-deno-sandbox.md)
- [Blaxel Sandboxes vs Runloop Devboxes](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/blaxel-sandboxes-vs-runloop.md)
- [Cloudflare Sandbox SDK vs Deno Sandbox](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-sandbox-sdk-vs-deno-sandbox.md)
- [Cloudflare Sandbox SDK vs Runloop Devboxes](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-sandbox-sdk-vs-runloop.md)
- [Daytona vs Deno Sandbox](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/daytona-vs-deno-sandbox.md)
- [Daytona vs Runloop Devboxes](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/daytona-vs-runloop.md)
- [Deno Sandbox vs E2B](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deno-sandbox-vs-e2b.md)
- [Deno Sandbox vs Freestyle](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deno-sandbox-vs-freestyle.md)
- [Deno Sandbox vs Microsoft Execution Containers](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deno-sandbox-vs-microsoft-execution-containers.md)
- [Deno Sandbox vs Modal Sandboxes](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deno-sandbox-vs-modal-sandboxes.md)
- [Deno Sandbox vs Morph Cloud](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deno-sandbox-vs-morph-cloud.md)
- [Deno Sandbox vs Sprites](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deno-sandbox-vs-sprites.md)
- [Deno Sandbox vs Together Code Sandbox](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deno-sandbox-vs-together-code-sandbox.md)
- [Deno Sandbox vs Vercel Sandbox](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deno-sandbox-vs-vercel-sandbox.md)
- [E2B vs Runloop Devboxes](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/e2b-vs-runloop.md)
- [Freestyle vs Runloop Devboxes](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freestyle-vs-runloop.md)
- [Microsoft Execution Containers vs Runloop Devboxes](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-execution-containers-vs-runloop.md)
- [Modal Sandboxes vs Runloop Devboxes](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/modal-sandboxes-vs-runloop.md)
- [Morph Cloud vs Runloop Devboxes](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/morph-cloud-vs-runloop.md)
- [Runloop Devboxes vs Sprites](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/runloop-vs-sprites.md)
- [Runloop Devboxes vs Together Code Sandbox](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/runloop-vs-together-code-sandbox.md)
- [Runloop Devboxes vs Vercel Sandbox](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/runloop-vs-vercel-sandbox.md)
- [Agent 37 Cloud vs Deno Sandbox](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent37-vs-deno-sandbox.md)
- [Agent 37 Cloud vs Runloop Devboxes](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent37-vs-runloop.md)